


Stuck In The Dean-Cave (With You)

by WarmthOfRain



Series: Don't Ask Stupid Questions (or, Destiel Being Idiots) [6]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Angel Castiel (Supernatural), Bisexual Dean Winchester, Castiel Makes Mixtapes For Dean Winchester, Dean Winchester Makes Mixtapes For Castiel, Dean's Top 13 Zepp Traxx Mixtape, Dean-cave | Fortress of Dean-a-tude (Supernatural), Destiel - Freeform, Destiel Being Cute af, Domestic Castiel/Dean Winchester, Domestic Fluff, Fluff, Fluff and Crack, Fluff and Humor, M/M, Movie Night, Not Beta Read, Reference To Episode Title, References to songs, Romantic Comedy, Romantic Fluff, Sam Winchester Ships Castiel/Dean Winchester, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, tombstone - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-10
Updated: 2021-01-10
Packaged: 2021-03-14 13:42:38
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,790
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28671708
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WarmthOfRain/pseuds/WarmthOfRain
Summary: Cas’ leans in automatically and Dean doesn’t pull away, their foreheads touching from the sides, as Dean leads them in a small circle.Dean laughs, when Cas does stumble, and Cas blushes and says “Stop laughing,” but Dean doesn’t, so Cas leans in to press a quick kiss on his lips to make him stop.And Dean smiles at him, hand on Cas’ shoulder holding on tighter as they sway in an even slower rhythm.It’s Cas’ turn to laugh when Dean bumps into the table and the hunter scowls at him and promises to step on his toes the next time.They don’t hear anything else, don’t see anything else.Not the way the clock on the table shows ‘12:08’ or the way the door is slightly ajar.They don’t see Sam behind the door, leaning onto the doorframe and shaking his head at them, with a fond smile on his face.And all the while, the song still plays and plays.//It's not just movie nights in the Dean-Cave, people.
Relationships: Castiel & Sam Winchester, Castiel/Dean Winchester, Dean Winchester & Sam Winchester
Series: Don't Ask Stupid Questions (or, Destiel Being Idiots) [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1994947
Comments: 22
Kudos: 187





	Stuck In The Dean-Cave (With You)

**Author's Note:**

> When I figure out how to fucking link this shit to a word I will but for now have this longass instagram link of the track listing of the mixtape Cas made for Dean:  
> https://www.instagram.com/p/CJ3xPXCHwHs/?igshid=5uq2uyfkronn&fbclid=IwAR0fPBf1Cjg0tX2iXFyoIf6iTgLNSY9WXfEL8OoNxLSAI2Y2F6p9ef5sPPk

There’s the distinct clatter of the little miniature ball making its way through the goal (which is, evidently, just a small hole inside the table) and Dean whoops, loud and obnoxious.

Watching him is like watching a little miracle - every move is unexpected but always pleasant. The hunter can be childish, the hunter can be with a ‘can-do’ attitude, ready to take down the next big bad with a paper-clip and no plan on how to do it.

Dean can also be irritating, but that doesn’t mean a thing because Cas still finds it endearing. It’s still beautiful.

“If you keep up that pace, my grandma can beat your feathery ass.” Dean tells him, gulping the beer and setting the empty bottle on the table a little further from the foosball one.

“You don’t have a grandma.” Castiel deadpans, fishing for the small football. The little miniature men are watching him with a sense of dismissal. 

“No, but if I did, she’d be whining about no competition.”

“So, what you’re saying is, if there’d be a grandmother Winchester, she’d be exactly like you? Or rather, you’d be exactly like her.” Castiel prompts, when Dean doesn’t move to the table, but leans on the bar he’s built in his ‘Dean Cave’.

Dean gives him a look. “I’m not whining,” he says proudly, but the angel tilts his head.

“Sure,” he says sarcastically.

Dean snorts. “Never should’ve taught you how to use sarcasm,” he mumbles, taking another beer and one more, coming over to pass it to the angel.

Dean’s sleeves of the flannel shirt are rolled up, revealing his arms and in here, when it’s just the two of them, he’s barefoot in the blue faded jeans.

Castiel loves this version of Dean. Maybe even the most.

He reaches to retrieve the bottle and says, contemplative “I think Sam appreciates it.”

“Sam don’t appreciate shit,” Dean says, dismissive, “He’s just glad that you two can gang up on me.” 

“I thought being glad was a form of appreciation.”

Dean groans and steps closer to the angel, rolling his eyes as he does so and leans over, taking the small ball from his hands. “You’re impossible.”

It sounds more like an endearment than actual displeasure, but Castiel still replies with, “I apologize.” 

Dean squints at him and his arm goes to Cas’, squeezing it gently and making eye-contact with him. 

It almost seems like one of those rom-com movies that Sam likes to watch (though he denies it). 

“One of your best traits, I’d say.” Dean tells him, making sure Castiel knows there’s nothing to apologize for and the angel smiles at him.

It’s a small smile, reserved and maybe even shy, but Dean gives him the same one back, before he clink their bottles together. “To being impossible.”

Cas chuckles. He drinks the beer, taking one sip and then leaving it on the counter, while Dean puts the ball in the middle of the small court and leaving it there, nodding towards the TV.

“I don’t know about you, but winning makes me hungry and exhausted. Movie?”

Dean’s voice is casual, almost as if masking some sort of secret request, and Castiel knows what that is well. 

He smiles, and takes up the plate of nachos with a side of warm, cheesy sauce and raises it towards Dean, “Nachos?”

Dean stares at him, eyes crinkling when he smirks and shakes his head lightly, as if Cas said something funny. “Yes, Cas, we’re eating nachos. Come on, you were supposed to pick this one, remember?”

They move towards the two recliners there, in front of the TV. The lights are already dim in the room, but when Cas carefully sits down, Dean turns the light all the way off and sits on the left one.

He claps his hands together, excited and asks “So, what have you picked out for us? It better be cowboys.”

Cas rolls his eyes at Dean’s comment and taps the DVD he rented from a nearby place. It’s funny, when he went to pick it up, he had no idea renting DVD’s were a thing.

He thought everything needed to be bought, but turns out there are places where you can rent something and then bring it back. Like a library for DVD’s. 

Dean’s gaze falls to the movie and he makes wide-eyes, staring at Cas and back at the DVD. “You’re kidding.” 

The hunter glares at him and then grabs the thing, holding it up. “This is what you chose?” his voice is demanding and slightly disbelieving.

Cas stares at him with an innocent expression. “It has cowboys in it.”

“But it’s from 2013!”

“So, we can only watch movies that aren’t from this century?”

Dean groans and then stares at the thing again. Cas waits. He looks over to Dean, his blue eyes wide and pleading and Dean sighs.

“This better be good. But nothing can beat _Tombstone_ , so…”

Cas snatches the box and puts the DVD into the machine that Dean’s taught him how to use. Dean grabs the nachos and sets them on his lap, beer in the other hand and reclines the chair a little bit.

Cas copies his movement, doing the same to his chair, but Dean says nothing, only smiles when the movie starts and gives Cas a little glance.

They’re not even 10 minutes into the movie when Dean starts complaining.

It’s not that he has a lot to say. Cas can tell that Dean actually enjoys the movie, the way it’s a bit comical, and there are already guns blazing. 

But, he absolutely has to stay his ground in saying that old western movies can not be topped.

“If you hate it so much, we can always watch the original version.” Is what Cas finally says, after Dean’s done commenting on John Reid’s outfit and the white hat. 

Dean turns his head a little and seems sheepish, when Cas gives him a questioning look. He isn’t hurt, but Dean seems to think so.

“Nah,” he says, after a thought like he is considering it, “Johnny Depp is pretty cool.”

“Isn’t he the pirate?” Cas asks, when Tonto tries to bury the bodies, along with Reid’s not-so-dead one.

“Yeah! Maybe I should make you watch the _Pirates of the Caribbean_ , too. But not before you’ve seen _Lord of the Rings_. That’s a cinematic masterpiece.” 

Cas nods along, because really, what else can he do? He absolutely wants to watch any movie with Dean. 

He enjoys looking at the movies, but he also enjoys looking at Dean, who’s looking at movies. His expression are something very endearing - the little frown between the brows, the way his lips stay parted for a while, when he’s watching an intense scene, the way his laughs from heart, when something dumb happen that Cas doesn’t find all that funny.

Dean’s head turns and Cas blinks, caught staring. “Lost something, cowboy?” Dean asks him in a smooth tone, winking at him and Cas’ heart does a somersault.

But he’s not the shy, blushing angel he once was.

He’s learned to deal with the one, Dean Winchester.

“You’re going to eat them all by yourself?” Castiel asks him in a very blatant manner and Dean looks down at his lap. 

Looking back up, he smirks at the angel. “Nope, but I’m not parting from them.”

They both know that Cas doesn’t need to eat. 

But there’s a challenging note to Dean’s voice and to that smug smirk, so Cas braves himself and maintains eye-contact as he reaches over towards Dean’s lap.

He can see Dean’s smile falter a little, eyes widen a bit, when Cas leans over his own armrest, supporting his elbow on Dean’s chair and with the other, takes a bunch of nachos from the plate.

The angel can hear Dean’s breathing, not so much as he can feel it, and it’s quickened by a considerable pace. Cas looks up towards Dean, their faces closer, and Dean’s eyes flicker to Cas’ mouth when he takes one nacho and sets it between his lips.

Castiel pulls back and mumbles a “Thank you,” around the chip, making a crunch sound as he chews it.

He can see Dean swallow and then school his face into the usual smug one. “Maybe next time we should just buy more nachos.”

“Hmmm,” Cas hums, chewing and then says, “I like sharing.”

Dean doesn’t say anything, but smiles at the angel and Cas keeps his own eyes glued to the TV, where people are shooting and John Reid is not really handling it well. The Lone Ranger doesn’t seem up to the job, not yet anyways.

Cas can feel Dean’s eyes on him and it’s a good feeling. His skin tingles, knowing that the pair of emerald eyes are on him, and not by accident.

“Dean, you’re missing the movie,” Castiel says after a few minutes, finished with the nachos. 

There’s a shuffling sound when Dean moves on the chair and Cas looks over, seeing Dean angling himself towards the angel now. “I don’t care.”

Cas frowns, acting insulted. “Is it because I picked the movie?”

“Cas, no. It’s not that.” 

Castiel has gotten good at reading people, but he can Dean read so much better than anyone else. And sometimes, it’s funny to see him squirm. Especially after he’d been gloating about winning at foosball.

“I meant,” Dean says, leaning over his armrest, eyes on Cas and the angel stubbornly turns to the TV, because it doesn’t mean he has to miss the movie even if Dean does, “I’d better look at you.” 

Cas rolls his eyes. “That’s a very bad pickup line. I’ve searched them up on the internet, I know.” 

Dean laughs. “You’ve got to stop with the internet thing. You may end up in places you don’t want to be. And it wasn’t a pickup line, dumbass.”

Cas chuckles. “Is that because there’s no picking up to do?”

Dean’s leaning over, which is extremely easy to do after he had moved the chairs more together (courtesy of their first movie watching and Dean complaining how he can’t reach the chicken wings in Cas’ lap and Cas rolling his eyes, because Dean already had popcorn in his lap at the time).

Cas finally gives in and turns his head, finding Dean’s inches from his and is stricken by those vivid green eyes once again. “Yeah, the picking up has already been thoroughly done, don’t you think?” 

Cas laughs, and Dean’s mouth curls into a smile as he does, making the angel feel warm inside again. 

“This keeps getting worse.” the angel says, when Dean’s hand finds Cas’ arm and he is curling his fingers around it.

“I never promised you better.”

Dean’s looking at him with a very guarded look and it makes Cas lean in more. 

A lot of movie nights have ended this way, and it looks like this one might not be different.

“I never asked for better.” he tells him, hand going to touch Dean’s hand on his arm, smoothly going over the fingers and laying it there.

Dean’s smile quirks up and he shakes his head. “C’mere.” is all he says and Cas lets Dean pull him in by a hand under his chin.

Kissing Dean is something Cas isn’t used to. They’ve done it plenty of times now, but it still astonishes him - that he can actually do it.

It’s exhilarating, to say the least. And he’s seen so many things in this world, experienced so many things and yet, this is the one thing that never ceases to amaze him.

Dean is kissing him with a gentle, but evident enthusiasm, the hand that was under his chin still there, fingers holding on as he presses his lips to Cas.

The angel tilts his head a little and Dean’s mouth on his pushes further, more intently, until Dean is almost not on his own chair anymore.

Cas gives up trying to watch the movie and snakes his hands around Dean’s waist, pulling him completely onto his own chair, right in his lap and Dean makes a small, surprised noise, pulling back to look at Cas.

“I thought we were watching the movie? Who was literally complaining about that like a second ago?” he asks, his eyebrows quirking up, victorious glint in his eyes.

And Cas doesn’t care about the losses - the foosball, the movie-watching. 

Dean’s in his arms and he thinks that’s a pretty big win.

//

There’s music coming from the ‘Dean-Cave’ as Cas approaches it a few days later, the sound of Led Zeppelin clearly blasting louder than it usually would.

But Sam is out, running, and it’s just Dean and Cas in the bunker.

He peers in from the door, not wanting to invade Dean’s privacy and finds him on the recliner, standing up and playing air-guitar while mouthing the words.

Something bubbles up in the angel and he resists the urge to snort, but instead, knocks.

Over the blaring of “ _Ramble on_ ”, Dean can’t hear him.

Cas finds that he’s, in his head, singing along to the track that’s listed 6th on the mixtape Dean gave him. Right between “ _Whole lotta love_ ” and “ _Stairway to Heaven_ ”. 

Dean’s now singing, hopping off the couch and doing a little cute dance-step as he goes over to the record player and sorts through the vinyls.

Cas decides to go in, then, quietly shutting the door and leaning onto it, observing Dean.

He’s patience is rewarded when Dean turns, yelps and his hand flies to his heart, stumbling back a few steps with a comical look on his face.

Cas feels positively gleeful.

“Damn it, Cas!” Dean says, taking off the needle from the vinyl, making the room fall into silence as the hunter glares at the angel. “Are you trying to give me a heart attack?”

“As a hunter,” Cas starts, conversationally, “I didn’t think you’d be that easily scared.”

Dean gives him a death glare but Cas smiles. 

“Says the guy who’s afraid of cats. That’s just weird.”

Cas sighs, “I’m not scared of them. I just don’t get them.”

“Whatever you say, big guy,” Dean snorts, sorting through the vinyls again, waving Cas over with one hand. 

The angel moves closer, carefully, standing next to Dean and contemplating if he’d be okay with Cas putting his arms around him.

When Cas stands behind Dean, he can feel the hunter lean into him a little, and he takes that as a yes to his internal question, hands going around Dean almost shyly.

Dean hums, like he’s deep in thought and taps on the vinyls, like he isn’t even aware that Castiel is hugging him from behind.

“Which one?”

Cas looks over Dean’s shoulder, being shorter than him means his mouth and nose both touch Dean’s jacket he’s wearing, eyes roaming over him down to the squared, thin boxes that contain Dean’s favorite songs. 

“That one?” Castiel questions, the ominous black cover standing out.

Dean makes a noise. “AC/DC? God, you’re amazing.”

He takes out the vinyl, while Castiel basks in the praise, humming into his shoulder. “Don’t know about that.”

Dean is probably rolling his eyes, Cas can’t tell, but he knows him well enough to imagine him doing it. 

“Shut your mouth.” Dean tells him harshly and Cas chuckles, letting him go so Dean can play the vinyl.

Cas takes the cover and flips it, looking for the song he had in mind and taps it. “Could you play this one?”

Dean glances over and his lips twitch, when he sneaks a look at Cas. “Sure, angel.”

Cas smiles brightly, when Dean raises the needle and lays it down to where he’s pretty sure the track starts.

“ _You shook me all night long_ ” starts playing and Cas smirks, when Dean turns to him, hands stretched out as if saying _‘There we go!’_.

Cas had heard this track many times in the Impala, while they drive to hunts or just on a beer-run, so the words are already embedded in his brain.

Dean’s head nods along with the song and he laughs suddenly, when Cas is mouthing the words.

Dean’s hand grabs Cas’ arm and pulls him closer, Dean buries his head into Cas’ trench coat and the angel can feel him laughing.

“What?”

Dean peers up. “You do know what this song is about, right?”

“Sexual intercourse, yes.” Cas says, blunt and Dean cringes, while also laughing, it makes a comical look.

“Jeez, just sex is fine. What are you, 70?” Dean chastises and Cas frowns.

“I’m millions of years old, Dean.”

“Seems I have a thing for older men then.” the hunter winks.

Cas gives him a look, “That was terrible.” 

“Says the great great great great-times a billion-grandpa.”

“Please, stop.” Cas says, head falling back in exasperation as Dean laughs, eyes crinkling at the sides.

Cas’ arms go to Dean’s shoulders behind his back, listening to the sound of him laughing and he feels as if he’s home.

And with a jolt, he realizes, he is. Home.

Dean looks towards him, taking a breather and Castiel locks eyes with him. Dean’s hands go to his trench coat and hold on to the lapels, while the hunter looks up.

Dean’s smile is small and guarded, but his eyes are soft, as his one hand finds it’s way to Cas’ cheek and the angel closes his eyes for a moment.

The music still blares on and Cas asks “Do you only have rock songs here?”

He opens his eyes to see Dean blinking and then turning to the table full of vinyls, deep in thought.

“Hmm, I think there might be some Elvis here, actually… I found it from the basement, there were a bunch of vinyls there. The men of letters sure had taste,” the hunter lets him go, steering towards the table and Cas watches as Dean shuffles through the covers. 

“Ahha,” he says almost victoriously, holding up an Elvis Presley album. He starts taking it out, when Cas’ arm on his stops him.

“I was just curious, you don’t have to-” he starts, but Dean waves him off.

“Nah, it’s a good change.”

He puts the record on, carefully placing the needle and Castiel watches the movements - they’re precise and Dean is taking extra care whilst doing it.

It’s the little things that Cas has begun to notice even more, that make him want to wrap Dean into a hug. Just to hold him. 

A soft melody starts playing and Dean turns towards him.

His hand goes to Cas’, grabbing it and the other moves to the shoulder. Cas’ other hand just stays to his side and he looks at Dean dumbfounded.

_Shall I stay?  
Would it be a sin  
If I can't help falling in love with you?_

The soft words travel around the room as Dean smiles at him.

“Come on,” he says and moves Cas’ hand to his back, gripping the other one tight and starts to move his legs.

This is when Castiel realizes what’s happening.

“I don’t know how to dance, Dean,” he says, slightly panicking, but the hunter snorts, pointing to himself with their intertwined hands.

“And I can? Have you met me?”

“Yes, obviously I have.” Cas says, blinking.

Dean shakes his head, bringing him closer with one swoop movement and says “Shut up and dance with me, Cas.”

And the angel does just that.

They’re clumsy, but they manage to swing in a very slow kind of way - like they both are extremely afraid of stepping onto the others foot, or stumbling.

And it’s perfect.

Cas’ leans in automatically and Dean doesn’t pull away, their foreheads touching from the sides, as Dean leads them in a small circle. 

Dean laughs, when Cas does stumble, and Cas blushes and says “Stop laughing,” but Dean doesn’t, so Cas leans in to press a quick kiss on his lips to make him stop.

And Dean smiles at him, hand on Cas’ shoulder holding on tighter as they sway in an even slower rhythm.

It’s Cas’ turn to laugh when Dean bumps into the table and the hunter scowls at him and promises to step on his toes the next time.

They don’t hear anything else, don’t see anything else.

Not the way the clock on the table shows ‘12:08’ or the way the door is slightly ajar.

They don’t see Sam behind the door, leaning onto the doorframe and shaking his head at them, with a fond smile on his face.

And all the while, the song still plays and plays.

_Take my hand  
Take my whole life too  
For I can't help falling in love with you_

//

When it’s a Thursday night and they are sitting in the kitchen, Sam is rolling his eyes at Dean, which is something Cas has seen a billion times and that’s saying something. Considering he’s a very old celestial being.

“Dean, it’s just a burger.”

Dean’s face is shocked, to say the least. “Just a burger? That was the best burger in this part of the Western Hemisphere!”

Castiel doesn’t ask how Dean could possibly know that, in case that would frustrate him even more.

Sam stares at the burger, the one that had done nothing to no one but still ended up falling onto the sidewalk, just after it had rained, and was now sitting in the trash can. He seems to feel some guilt, at least.

“Eat your food. I’ll get you another one tomorrow,” Sam tells Dean, but the hunter sighs dramatically, eyeing his plate of Chili con Carne with disgust.

“This is so not what I ordered.”

“I think it’s delicious,” Castiel ventures a guess, he wouldn’t really know, and gets a betrayed stare from Dean and a joyous huff from Sam.

“You can’t even taste it!” Dean protests, which is only partly true.

“Hey, the angel said it’s delicious. Eat your food.” Sam replies and Dean throws his hands up in defeat, taking a bite.

He tries hard not to show that he likes it and Sam squints his eyes at Dean, rolling them again, when Dean says “It’s not a burger, I’ll tell you that.”

Cas watches as they eat and talk about a recent hunt.

Nothing major, just some severed heads and one dead werewolf, which does make it a little bit more suspicious.

Dean finishes his plate, almost licked clean, and pats his stomach, delivering a content sigh. 

Sam side-eyes him, but takes the plate and goes to the sink.

“I can do that,” Castiel offers to wash the dishes but Sam is quick to decline.

“Cas, that’s okay, I don’t mind.”

“It’s the least I could do.” the angel says, because he’s heard people say that a lot, but also because he feels like he should do something more around here.

Sam shrugs and smiles. “Yeah, okay.” he says and Dean comes over, leaning onto the counter.

“I’m thinking movie night.” He says, determined, but Sam delivers a yawn.

“Nah, I’m gonna get some sleep.” he says.

“Wuss,” Dean counters and Sam raises and eyebrow with another huff, this time out of discontent.

“Sure, and what are you gonna watch? _Tombstone_ again? You’ve seen it like a hundred times. You probably have it memorized.”

“Hey, that’s a classic. You don’t go insulting the classics. Have I ever said a bad word about Celine Dion?”

Sam refuses to acknowledge that and Dean follows up with a rendition of “ _My heart will go on_ ”

Cas is drying the last plate, when he realizes it’s gone quiet and he looks to his right, where Dean is leaning onto the counter next to him.

“What about you?”

It’s not like Cas would say no, but to his surprise, he actually does want to see the movie again. Primarily because the first time, he missed some parts because he was busy staring at the hunter.

“I could watch it.”

“Awesome,” he gets in response, Dean throwing him one of his bright smiles and Castiel feels like he’s made the right choice.

When they settle down in the chairs, Cas feels something under him and remembers what’s in his pocket.

Before Dean can start the movie, he clears his throat to get his attention.

“Um, Dean?” he starts warily and the hunter does a little _‘hm?’_ , engrossed in the screen, pushing the buttons on the remote.

Cas takes the thing out of his pocket, the little rectangular box light in his hand and reaches his hand out towards Dean. “I, um, have something for you.”

Dean looks to him and his eyes fall from Cas’ face to his hands.

Cas can’t really read the expression, but it looks to be something close to astonishment. 

“You made me a mixtape?” Dean asks, like he can’t quite believe it.

“Yes, that’s what it is.” Castiel confirms.

Dean’s fingers curl around the box and his holding it like it’s something that can shatter any moment. Or explode.

His eyes dart to Cas. “No, I mean, you made it? By yourself?”

Castiel bites his lips and looks away for a moment. “Um, well. Sam helped. I didn’t really know how to- but I picked all the songs, obviously.” 

He feels weirdly shy about this, he wonders if Dean felt the same way when he gave Cas his. But then again, they weren’t that close at that moment. Not like this. 

Dean’s eyes go back down to the tape, eyeing it with a soft expression, finger going over the inscribed ‘ _To Dean_ ’ at the top.

“I didn’t really know what to call it. I know a lot of people put something meaningful on it, but I didn’t really-” he doesn’t get a chance to finish, because Dean looks up, shaking his head furiously.

“It’s perfect,” Dean tells him and Castiel’s heart soars.

“You haven’t even listened to it yet.”

Dean gives him a small smile. The corner of his lips quirking up, eyes on Cas as he breathes out, “It’s from you, of course it is.” 

They don’t exchange a lot of words such as this, nothing very profound or loving or sweet, but Cas has found that Dean is one of the sweetest people in the world, if he wants to be.

He’s glad Dean lets himself be that person, around him.

“I made a list of the songs, inside.” Castiel tells him carefully, nervous again.

Dean opens the small box with hurry, like he’s unwrapping a Christmas gift and finds the cover with the listing. 

“13?” he asks, amused.

“You gave me 13, so. Seemed only fair to give you the same amount.”

Dean’s fingers go over the tracks listed, a small smile growing on his face. He stops at no. 3, ‘ _Shook me all night long_ ’, and lets out a small chuckle.

His eyes squint a little, as he reads the listing.

Cas isn’t aware that he’s been holding his breath and releases it. 

Suddenly, Dean’s up and going towards the shelf with all the vinyls and beer bottles he’s kept because they have cool labels on them, bullets with inscriptions on them, that one weird-shaped rock Cas once found on the ground and Dean insisted on putting it on the shelf, and reaches out in search of something, rummaging around.

Cas stays still, eyeing him. “Dean?” he asks, hesitating if he should get up and follow.

Dean holds up his finger. _Just a sec_.

The hunter gives a triumphant “ _haa!_ ” as he finds what he’s looking for - it looks just like the mixtape, but it’s bigger, with buttons on it and a small, tiny screen.

He opens it, placing Cas’ tape in it like a puzzle piece and Cas watches in fascination, as Dean attaches a pair of headphones to the thing.

“I want to listen to it. Will you listen to it with me?” Dean’s face isn’t as guarded anymore, it’s open and more vulnerable, sincerity clear on it and Cas blinks.

“Of course.” is what he says, even though it gives him a certain kind of anxiety to listen to the tape with Dean, _to see him listening to it_.

But he gets up, unsure what to do next, and Dean comes closer, ignoring the _Tombstone_ on the screen that’s started playing opening credits, and pulls Cas by his hand.

The angel lets himself be dragged to Dean’s room. He stands by the door, as Dean goes around, drawing the blanket and putting the pillows up so they can lean on them and shuts the light on the ceiling, opting for the small bedside table lamp.

When Dean settles down on the bed, Cas is still standing in the doorway.

“What are you still doing here? Get over here, dork.” Dean tells him, voice soft, low and something so much more that Cas closes the door, before he comes over to gently lower himself next to Dean.

Dean draws a blanket over their backs, so they’re only half-shielded from the chill of the room and puts a hand around Cas’ neck, giving one earbud to him and putting his on. The hunters legs go over Cas' stretched out ones.

“The songs are…” Cas starts, as Dean’s finger goes to the ‘ _play_ ’ button, “They’re very, different. From what you usually listen and from each other too. Many genres and-”

“So, it’s a rollercoaster of tunes?” Dean snickers, thigh pressing against Cas’.

The angel tilts his head a bit. “Well, roller coasters do have ups and downs of very sudden and unpredictable angles and depths, so that would be an accurate metaphor to describe this sequence of songs, yes.” 

Dean’s hand around his neck reaches towards his face a bit, the thumb skirting the outer edge of Cas’ mouth and Dean smirks. “Like I said, a dork. Let’s get this party going.”

Cas mimics the movement of Dean’s from earlier, putting the bud into his ear, and Dean presses play, after which he leans his forehead against Cas’.

The angel closes his eyes, enjoying the warmth. It’s like he’s touching the sun, finally.

And Dean doesn’t comment. He listens. Song after song, he listens and says nothing, a small smile on his face and eyes closed, as much as Cas can see as he carefully peers at Dean, from time to time.

But, he does comment eventually.

And it’s not on the lyrics from songs that Cas deliberately put on the mixtape.

_I'll throw away my faith, babe, just to keep you safe._

_Your kisses lift me higher._

_The knife twists at the thought that I should fall short of the mark.  
Frightened by the bite though it's no harsher than the bark._

_Not anyone, you're the one.  
More than fun, you're the Sanctuary._

_It turns out freedom ain't nothin' but missin' you._

It’s none of those multi-layered, subtextual words that Dean comments on, none of those. No, he leans back a bit, so he can look at the angel and his face is nothing short of amusement as he mouths along to:

_Oh, and I'm a cowboy, on a steel horse I ride  
I'm wanted dead or alive_

“You sure know how to pick ‘em.” He then comments and Cas isn’t sure to what that applies.

His heart beats so loud, it’s frightening - how can a human heart make that much noise? 

“Did you put that here because I made you watch _Tombstone_? Or because you think I look freaking hot in a cowboy hat?” Dean then asks and without warning, he moves from Cas’ side to straddle him, hands supporting himself on Cas’ shoulders.

The angel’s hands almost automatically find Dean’s hips and steady him, looking up towards the hunter, still linked with him and the mixtape player by the string of earbuds.

It’s like a visual representation of the actual bond he feels he has with Dean and somehow, it’s driving him crazy.

“I felt that captured your essence pretty accurately, yes.” Cas tells him, but he isn’t very good at making it pan out as a joke, because he’s still anxious.

Anxious about what Dean thinks of the whole thing.

But the hunter laughs, the sound softening into a small smile as the songs changes from “ _Dead or alive_ ” to “ _Knockin’ on heaven’s door_ ”.

Dean’s face is unmoving, besides that small smile, his eyes fixed on Cas, before he leans down, forehead touching the angel’s and whispers “You are fucking amazing. Do you have any idea how much you mean to me?”

And the tension in Cas dissipates completely, letting him breathe out and nudge upwards, to kiss Dean on the lips like he’s been wanting to do for the last few minutes now.

His hands grips onto him tight as Dean kisses him back with shattering enthusiasm, and Cas thinks _‘Yes, I do, because I feel the same.’_

And that’s that.

They say no more words and let the music do the talking.

//

They don’t realize, not before morning when the sunlight drapes through and Dean says with a groggy voice _“Sunovabitch”_ when it pokes him in the eye, that _Tombstone_ was rolling ending credits when they were having their cuddling-fest on the bed.

But that’s okay, because Sam finally agrees that he might need to see the movie, since even Cas gets those references and he can’t take Dean’s nagging anymore.

So they haul one of the armchairs from the main room to the 'Dean-Cave' that night, Sam pointing at the posters of AC/DC and Zeppelin on the walls, commenting on how this looks more like a bachelor’s den with the beer and the TV.

Cas catches Dean’s eyes, when the taller hunter says “And I know that’s not true.”

Dean moves closer to Cas, brushing his arm and the angel smiles, when Dean says “Cas likes them.”

He gets a big smile from Dean in reward as he replies with “I do.”

Sam rolls his eyes at them and they settle down, the brothers bickering about who gets to sit in the center and hold the popcorn, while Cas sits in the right-side recliner, an amused smile on his face.

It doesn’t matter that they didn’t watch Tombstone, because Sam is here now and they can share the experience. It doesn’t matter that Dean didn’t comment on the songs on the mixtape because Cas already knows how he feels.

It doesn’t matter that life is unpredictable, for people like them, because whatever may come they will face it together.

 _Yes_ , Cas thinks, watching as Dean protests about Sam snatching the beer from his hand, making the hunter get up and bring another for himself, _I could get used to this_.

Roll credits.

**Author's Note:**

> Ayyyy welcome back to Destiel, my fellow Yees and Haws!
> 
> I started this series for Destiel, because my friend keeps giving me prompts and I want to write short fics, so I made this. Everything that ever goes here will probably be as short as this one, so they're more like oneshots - probably more crack than anything.
> 
> If you liked this, let me know in the comments (I feed off compliments and souls).
> 
> You can also find me on  
> Wattpad: WarmthOfRain  
> Instagram: warmthofrain  
> Twitter: rain_warmth  
> Tumblr: malecbaby
> 
> Peace out, bitches *throws peace signs*


End file.
